Austin Regional Clinic (ARC), together with Ascension Seton and partners, achieved top quality scores and the largest amount of savings for Medicare in the 10-year history of the Ascension Seton Accountable Care Organization (ACO), ranking in the top 7% of 482 ACOs nationwide.

The ACO, which includes ARC and Ascension Seton in addition to Capital Medical Clinic and Lone Star Circle of Care, saved Medicare a record $23.9 million by meeting an extensive list of quality of care, patient satisfaction, and cost goals in 2022, according to recently released performance data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that administers Medicare.

“We’ve always understood that better access to coordinated, high-quality care improves outcomes and reduces the cost of care,” said Anas Daghestani, MD, ARC President & CEO. “Our mission statement says just that: to provide coordinated, comprehensive, accessible health care, with sensitivity to the cost of care. Together, ARC and Ascension Seton ACO provide high-quality outcomes for patients and significant savings for health plans and employers.”

Ascension Seton ACO earned a top quality score on performance measures ranging from patient satisfaction, preventive health checks and chronic disease management, to the use of computerized health records and preventing avoidable hospitalizations, according to Medicare data. The ACO invests in access, care coordination, health information technology, and other care enhancements to improve health outcomes, which leads to reduced cost of care for 23,625 Medicare beneficiaries.

“The investments we made and infrastructure we built, with proven performance for Medicare patients, reflect the care ARC provides to all of our more than 630,000 patients,” said Daghestani. “ARC has always been recognized, locally and nationally, as a high-performing medical organization that delivers high quality coordinated care while reducing avoidable costs for our patients, employers, Medicare and the taxpayers. With our ACO partners, we coordinate care for thousands of patients resulting in improved outcomes and reduced costs.”

“We are proud of our partnership with Austin Regional Clinic, Capital Medical Clinic, and Lone Star Circle of Care through the Ascension Seton ACO, “said Philip Eaves, President and CEO, Ascension Seton ACO. “We understand that improving the coordination of care among primary care physicians, specialists and our hospitals can produce better outcomes and lower cost for patients in our community. This collaborative partnership not only produces positive results for our Medicare beneficiaries but for our commercial patients alike, ultimately driving down the total cost of care for both the federal government and employers."

Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), founded over 12 years ago, are systems of healthcare providers – including primary care physicians, specialists, hospitals, and other healthcare partners – that work together and accept collective responsibility for the quality, satisfaction, and cost of care delivered to a population of patients.

About Austin Regional Clinic

Austin Regional Clinic is a multispecialty medical group committed to providing comprehensive healthcare services throughout Central Texas. Founded by three Austin physicians in 1980, it now provides health care to over 630,000 area residents in 35 locations in 15 Central Texas cities, including both primary and specialty care. For more information, visit www.austinregionalclinic.com